Not too long ago, I had a go at a KGM Rexton for a review, and it was a fun way to explore the big and bold 7 seater, ladder frame dinosaur. And given the saying goes “you only have one chance to make a first impression”, I must say I was interested in revisiting it and seeing how my impressions would evolve. Pick one of the six remaining seats and join me for this one.
Exterior wise, you’d be pressed to find many differences from the one I had before. The same simple and well-defined lines are there, with the front and rear fascias doing most of the talking. The white colour of this model is beautifully executed, suits the car well, and when combined with these polished wheels, this Ultimate trim has a more urban and less mud friendly look to it. I quite like it, and another Rexton driver on the road certainly did too. His was black on black on black for that “murdered out” look, and it’s nice to see such opposing looks work well on this truck.
The interior, however, made its changes apparent to me instantly. The “diamond stitching” found throughout the car adds some flair to the dashboard surface and even extends to the seats. The latter have heating and cooling settings that genuinely put cars many times the price to shame, alongside a great range of adjustment and, in this trim, memory settings and easy access.
The gear selector assembly has changed from a lever to now become a switch. While it does not free up any additional room, it declutters the view and is a welcome change that allows for better access to the other smart storage solutions found around there. A sunroof is also available, which while not panoramic, can still be enjoyed from the second row. That row offers great levels of room and comfort, with heated seats, ample reclining, plenty of charging ports and cupholders.
And there is yet another row, of course. Getting in and out is easy enough, although leg room is somewhat compromised for the longer legged. Those there get their own storage and climate vents, and if their row is down, the boot becomes seriously large, which came really handy as I had the car exactly during a week where I was moving houses.
Just ahead of the driver is another big change from the car I had before, the instrument cluster. Gone is the assembly with the two needles and the monochrome screen in the middle, in exchange for a fully digital screen. It modernizes the layout, and introduces a bit more customisation and pizzaz, even if the angle of the lens makes it prone to reflections that sometimes compromise visibility.
While in the topic of screens, the one in the middle of the dash is unchanged and dominates the technology experience. It is not class leading, with limited capability and hindered performance. I’ve said before that phone projection is a great equaliser for tech in cars, and the Rexton is one of the best examples of that. Rather than using the native system, just hook up your phone and let it do the heavy lifting. Wired CarPlay worked great, makes way better use of the screen and you can still rely on the car’s native features. The 360 camera is really helpful for a car of this size, and blind spot monitoring is one of those assistances no one will ever complain about having. The interesting omission of adaptive cruise control is still a head scratcher, though.
Under the bonnet, the theme of familiarity persists, and I’m a big fan of this drivetrain. The 2.2 litre diesel 4 cylinder has predictable performance and is eager to deliver the 441Nm of torque whenever you need it. The 8 speed transmission is super smooth up and downshifting, including through the available paddles that should not be underestimated even in a car with this intended purpose. I had four people and a little luggage and even then the Rexton never felt bothered or underpowered.
And how does it drive? When I last had it, the Rexton’s old-school driving dynamics took a bit of getting used to, as I had to calibrate all my inputs. This time around, I knew exactly what to expect, and was even looking forward to it. This truck is unapologetically body on frame, and once you know where the limits are, it becomes easy to live with regardless the setting.
Yeah, you can still feel the weight of the 2.1 tonnes as you accelerate, brake or turn, but it is still very predictable and within what’s expected from a truck this size. Inputs are watered down and any sudden movement is followed by a big recoil, such as the body roll of the suspension loading up, or the one-wheel–peel when you take off into a turn.
There is a street under heavy renovation work around my house, and I used it to give my wife a (boring) practical lesson on how ladder frame vehicles behave differently than unibody ones in situations like these. The repeated undulations sent quick judders into the cabin, and the low frequency bumps literally disappeared underneath the soft suspension and the high-sidewall tyres.
Once we hit the motorway, I swear I could feel the car sigh in relief as soon as we reached the merge ramp. The Rexton is much happier on the open road than in the city. Doing 100km/h, the engine is barely breaking a sweat, there is very limited wind noise, and you can get to enjoy the room and comfort available. The next day, we attended an event at a beautiful rural setting, accessed through a fire road. The gravel was a great place to test the Rexton’s 4WD in both High and Low Range, and all of that is done through a rotary dial on the centre console. There is feedback on the screen to let you know what mode you’re in, but it’s not like you’d need it: when in slow speeds, the 4WD is eager to get the truck to move straight ahead, and you can actually feel the front end working to get you out of the ditch. Once you’re moving quicker, High Range is barely perceptible and great at building confidence and traction for a vehicle of this size. I bet it is pretty competent off-road.
So yes, I can confirm my second time with the Rexton was even better than the first. It is burly, robust, and feels like it can take some abuse. It makes no effort to hide what it is and gets so many things right that when you put it in the perspective of its price that it is easy to overlook its few shortcomings. The tech is not its forte, but neither should it be. It offers great levels of comfort and space, and if I had it my way, I’d be leaving everything behind and driving this thing cross-country with a caravan strapped to it. Thanks for reading, and thanks KGM for the opportunity!
